CTV is expanding TV’s role, not replacing it
Partner content
The qualities that made TV valuable, like reach, attention and trusted environments, still matter. What has changed is the ability to understand what happens next.
For years, the advertising industry has talked about the future of connected TV (CTV), and that conversation often starts with whether it will replace linear TV. However, that is the wrong question; CTV is not replacing television but rather expanding what television can deliver for advertisers within the wider media ecosystem.
Since its widespread adoption, television has been one of the most effective channels for building awareness, creating emotional connection and reaching audiences at scale, and those fundamentals remain unchanged.
What is changing, however, is the ability of advertisers to layer data, measurement, and addressability onto those environments, enabling far greater visibility into what happens after that initial moment of attention. This is where CTV comes in.
Rather than competing for the same role, we are seeing a shift in which linear TV and CTV operate as complementary parts of the same ecosystem. Linear continues to deliver broad reach and cultural relevance in a way few channels can match, while CTV builds on those strengths by introducing greater flexibility, more sophisticated audience activation and improved measurement capabilities.
The shift is already visible in the UK market. According to IAB UK, investment in video advertising reached £9.3 bn in 2025, growing 20% year on year, with TV+ accounting for more than a third of all video spend. That growth reflects how broadcasters, streamers and advertisers are increasingly working together to get the best results and increase reach.
CTV is expanding the role of TV across the funnel
Traditionally, TV has been considered a top-of-funnel channel by advertisers, while search and social are typically associated with lower-funnel performance.
However, new technological advancements have enabled CTV to challenge that assumption. When used correctly, CTV can create demand, influence consideration and contribute to conversion, offering value at each stage of the funnel.
However, advertisers should be careful not to force CTV into a role it was never designed for. The value of television has always been its ability to capture attention; now advertisers can better understand what happens after that attention is created.
Research from Thinkbox and Tapestry Research’s 2025 Staying Power study, based on 19,250 UK adults, shows that purchase intent after TV exposure declines by only 14% over eight weeks, compared with 26% for social media. The research also found that when TV was included in a media plan, it increased the impact of other channels by an average of 26%.
Meanwhile, LG Ad Solutions’ The Big Shift 2025 UK study found that 39% of UK CTV viewers visited a brand website after seeing a streaming TV ad and 23% made a purchase.
These figures demonstrate that television’s influence is beginning to extend beyond its initial purpose. Rather than operating purely as an awareness channel, CTV is enabling television to play a meaningful role throughout the customer journey and to contribute value at each stage of the funnel.
But it is important to note that this does not mean TV is becoming a checkout channel.
For example, when a viewer sees a TV ad on a streaming platform, they often search for the brand or product later on another device that’s easier and more convenient for shopping, such as a mobile device. Later, when they are ready to make a purchase, they’ll do it on their phone. The fundamental role of television in raising awareness of a product or service hasn’t changed; what has changed is advertisers’ ability to understand and measure how that awareness translates into action through data touchpoints.
The next stage of CTV depends on experience, not technology
Despite having access to new technology and measurement tools, advertisers must take caution not to fall into the trap of deploying every new capability just because it’s available.
At the heart of every CTV strategy needs to be a seamless and engaging customer experience. For example, shoppable ads, QR codes, and interactivity all have potential, but they only become valuable to consumers when they create a natural next step in their path to purchase.
The creative experience, landing page, and wider customer journey all need to work together to successfully convert someone into a customer. Otherwise, the technology can become a distraction rather than an enhancement.
Where retail media, AI and the connected TV converge
One of the most significant developments in the market is the growing overlap between retail media and CTV.
In today’s ecosystem, we see retailers bring first-party data and real purchase signals; broadcasters provide trusted environments, premium content, and audience scale; and technology platforms provide the infrastructure to connect these elements and make campaigns more relevant, measurable, and actionable.
While this convergence looks promising, the opportunity it presents is not necessarily about moving the entire purchase journey onto the television screen, but rather about reducing friction between discovery and action by creating a more connected experience across devices, where CTV can influence intent, capture demand, and make the path to purchase more measurable.
This is also where AI has the potential to create meaningful value. As audience signals, viewing behaviour and commerce data become increasingly interconnected, AI can help advertisers identify relevant audiences, optimise creative delivery and improve campaign efficiency.
The key is to identify where it can improve the consumer experience, while also making advertising feel more relevant, useful and effective.
The risk comes when advertisers try to overengineer CTV. Research from Nielsen and Gracenote suggests that many marketers are still applying highly granular targeting strategies while pursuing broad brand-building objectives.
In doing so, they risk undermining the qualities that have always made television effective. It succeeds because of attention, context and premium viewing environments, and data should enhance those strengths, not replace them.
The future is one connected TV ecosystem
The industry has spent years talking about CTV as though it sits apart from television, but now that distinction feels less useful. What we’re seeing emerge is a broader TV network that stretches from traditional broadcast environments through to streaming, programmatic activation and, in some cases, commerce.
That doesn’t mean every campaign needs to become shoppable, or that television should be judged solely on short-term performance metrics.
The qualities that made TV valuable in the first place, like reach, attention and trusted environments, still matter. What has changed is the ability to understand what happens next.
CTV gives the industry the opportunity to combine the emotional impact of television with the intelligence of digital. The brands that succeed will be those that use technology to strengthen the viewer experience, not those that simply use technology because it is available.
Matteo Ferrario, head of programmatic, Tangoo